Gender Confusion and Transgender Identity

Gender Confusion or Gender Dysphoria (GD) of childhood describes a psychological condition in which children experience a marked incongruence between their experienced gender and the gender associated with their biological sex. When this occurs in the pre-pubertal child, GD resolves in the vast majority of patients by late adolescence. Currently, there is a vigorous debate among physicians, therapists, and academics regarding what is fast becoming the new treatment standard for GD in children. This new paradigm is rooted in the assumption that GD is innate, but a review of the current literature suggests that this claim is founded upon an unscientific gender ideology and lacks an evidence base. The following resources are presented to clarify this matter.





Resources for Parents, School Officials, and Policymakers

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Psychiatric reports show teens can embrace their bodies

A Guide to Understanding the Transgender Issue

Lost in Trans Nation: A Child Psychiatrist's Guide Out of the Madness by Miriam Grossman, MD

The Myth About Suicide and Gender Dysphoric Children

Puberty Blockers, Cross-sex Hormones, and Suicide by Heritage

Do Physicians and Health Professionals Really Support Transgender Interventions in Minors? 

Desist, Detrans, & Detox: Getting Your Child Out of the Gender Cult

Medical Groups Oppose Trans Ideology in Schools

Medical Groups Support Minors’ Right to Therapy

Medical Group Supports Catholic Health System: Letter to Archbishop Carlson, St. Louis

Medical Group Supports Catholic Health System: Letter to Bishop Conley, Nebraska

Joint Letter to the Surgeon General

VIDEO: What One Doctor Did When a Young Boy Patient Said He Was A Girl

  • Transcript for above video can be found here.

Gender Identity in Children: Science, Medical Ethics & Controversy – Dr. Cretella’s Video Power Point presentation

Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and Medicine – October 2017 Panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation

Sex and Gender Are Distinct Variables - by Cretella MA, Rosik CH, & Howsepian, AA. 2019. American Psychologist, 74(7), 842–844.

Bioethikos - The conversation in this interview, ACPeds Executive Director, Dr. Michelle Cretella deals with the controversial topic of transgender children, and how to address this issue from a scientific and compassionate perspective.

Observations in a Gender Clinic After spending some time as a physician-observer in a clinic for children and adolescents who are struggling with gender identity, Monique Robles, MD, a member of ACPeds, published this in a commentary of The National Catholic Bioethics Center on Health Care and the Life Sciences in Ethics & Medicine, February 2019.

UK High Court Rules Puberty Blockers Experimental, Minors Cannot Consent - Dr. Andre Van Mol, December 23, 2020

Further Objections to Normalizing Gender Ideology

Trans Kids It’s Time To Talk Treatment - In this video, a psychotherapist speaks of her personal experience as someone who suffered gender dysphoria as a child.

The American Psychological Association Says Born-That-Way-And-Can’t-Change Is Not True of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (a PDF of the page found in this link is here: APA Handbook Born That Way Not True 16-9-21 Haynes Update)

Biology isn’t Bigotry Panel Discussion - February 2017, The Heritage Foundation

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